


I thought we were forever

by Loracine



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Estrangement, Implied Mpreg, M/M, Reconciliation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2016-06-19
Packaged: 2018-07-15 23:12:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7242700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loracine/pseuds/Loracine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It had been sixteen years since Jensen last saw his daughter's other father. The last thing he expected was to see the man emerging from his daughter's surgical theater and start talking about prognoses and potential deficits.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I thought we were forever

**Author's Note:**

> [spnwritingchallenge](http://spnwritingchallenge.tumblr.com/) June 2016  
>  Free Round
> 
> So, I was trying to think up an idea for this fic and I just happened to be watching the show 'A Gifted Man' at the same time. I have no idea how that equates to this, but there you go.

He didn't know how long he had been sitting there. Shannon's school had called him five hours ago. He still remembered the way the floor had dropped out from beneath his feet when he'd heard the words injured, ambulance, and emergency room. The forty minute drive to the hospital had taken only twenty-five and for much of it he'd been on the phone with his little girl while the doctors and nurses had worked on her. Jensen told himself that he was only trying to keep her calm, but he would have lost it without the sound of his daughter's voice to reassure him. Shannon would probably have been fine. She was so strong.

Now, after the tearful reunion and two panic attacks averted, it was just a waiting game. She'd gone into surgery and the only thing that would make any of this alright would be to see her again. From the moment she'd been placed in his arms, almost sixteen years ago, Jensen had fallen in love. She'd landed in his life and screwed his plans all to hell in the process. Looking back on it, there were things he still wished he could have done, but he wouldn't change a thing if it meant not having her, not getting to watch his daughter grow up before his eyes.

The nurse he'd talked to previously, when they were wheeling her away to surgery and the staff was threatening to call security if he didn't calm down, looked tired as she walked out into the surgical waiting room. She wasn't smiling. Jensen got that sick nauseous feeling again and he could have sworn his heart stopped beating. The blood was whooshing in his ears and he would have started screaming if the nurse hadn't given him a wane smile and a nod.

"Mr. Ackles, the doctor located and stopped the internal hemorrhage. Shannon is going to be just fine," she told him when she got close enough.

His legs buckled and he sat down hard on the chair behind him. "When can I see her," he blurted out, still reeling.

The kind nurse sat next to him. "She'll be in recovery for about an hour. With cases like these we typically keep the patient overnight. She'll be moved to the pediatric wing and you can see her then. The doctor wants me to ask you what your blood type is," she said.

He answered woodenly, "AB positive. Why?" She'd said Shannon would be fine. Hadn't she? Did she need blood? How much had she lost? Oh god. Shannon.

"Sir. Mr. Ackles. Sir, can you hear me." He could hear the nurse through the fog of panic, almost like she was on the other end of a long tunnel. Her voice was a tinny echo. He knew she'd said something before that, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out what it had been.

'Yeah, uh, yes. What were you saying," Jensen said after he'd pulled himself out of that emotional spiral.

She looked concerned. "Your daughter has a rare blood subtype. She's also Rh negative. We've replenished her fluids, but she really needs a transfusion. Since your blood type is not a match we need to know if her mother is willing to be tested," she explained.

"I," he looked down at his shoes, forearms braced on his knees. "I'm the mother," he admitted. "Her father left a long time ago. I haven't talked to him since before Shannon was born. I don't think he even knows she exists."

"Alright," the nurse replied. "We'll make some calls and see if we can find a match somewhere nearby."

She moved to stand but he put a hand on her forearm, fingers barely resting there. "It doesn't… I don't care what it costs. Just make her ok," he pleaded.

She patted his hand and his fingers slid off her easily. He knew he was going into some sort of emotional shock, but he was helpless to prevent it while all this uncertainty still surrounded his little girl. "We will. I promise. The doctor will be out in a few minutes to talk to you. Are you going to be alright until then," she asked.

He took a deep breath and nodded, "I'll be fine."

The nurse hadn't lied. He had just enough time to grab a cup of coffee from the table by the information desk before the doctor came looking for him. He was a giant of a man with broad shoulders and strands of floppy brown hair peeking from underneath his scrub cap. He walked up to where Jensen was sitting and inquired, "Mr. Ackles?" His eyes widened when Jensen looked up, but his expression hardened. "You are Shannon's father?"

It didn't take long for Jensen to recognize his ex-fiance, the man who'd walked out on him over sixteen years ago because their relationship was dragging him down. It looked like he'd gotten everything he wanted. He'd let go of his anger a long time ago, but it still hurt to see the man in person. Jensen glanced at his ID tag, "Dr. Padalecki," he replied formally, "What can you tell me about my daughter?"

A muscle in Jared's jaw ticked, and he rattled off a promising prognosis in a monotone voice, like he was ordering lunch. Jensen heard it all, but the part he got stuck on was that it would be another forty minutes or so until he could see his daughter. After Jared left, Jensen hurried over to the desk to page the nurse. He was pacing and nervous, hands shaking, when she arrived.

"Is there something you need," she asked him.

He cleared his throat. "You said if I could find Shannon's father that he might be able to help her," he began.

The nurse nodded. "A blood relative is much more likely to be a suitable blood donor given her rare subtype," she agreed, looking at him expectantly.

He cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck. "You have to promise me that he won't be able to get in to see her, not while she's… I've told her about him, but she doesn't know who he is. I didn't even give her a picture," he confessed. He hadn't wanted any reminders of the love of his life hanging around. He hadn't wanted to face that knowledge every day that he hadn't been good enough, that maybe he hadn't been the love of Jared's life after all.

She nodded.

He blew out a breath. "Jared Padalecki." There. He'd said it. And changed everything.

"You mean," the nurse stuttered.

"Yeah, Dr. Jared Padalecki. I'll, uh, I'll tell him. Just not here. This is not going to be pretty," Jensen told her.

"Dr. Padalecki is a pretty easy going guy," the nurse interrupted. He looked her straight in the eye and she relented, "Come with me."

She led him to one of the consultation rooms, the ones they used for grieving families when things hadn't gone as well as they hoped, when their loved one was waiting in the morgue instead of a recovery bed. Jensen guessed that this situation might qualify. He stood, uncertain, when Jared entered a while later. His ex loomed in the doorway before shutting them both inside.

"So, you did know me," Jared sneered. "I see you moved on pretty quick, Jennie. How long before you replaced me? Or is that why you let me go so easy. Were you fucking someone else before I left," his words were getting nastier and nastier until he closed his eyes and composed himself. "Nurse Tiffany said you wanted to see me about something personal. What is it? I've got patients to see."

Jensen couldn't answer right away. Jared was so angry. He just stood there with his mouth open and the words wouldn't come. When his ex turned, hand gripping the door handle so tight his knuckles were white it just spilled out of him, "She's yours."

Jared stilled. "What did you say?"

"I found out a few days before you left. It was so sudden. I thought we were going to go to college together. I thought we were forever. I thought we were getting married. Then you said you were leaving. You didn't want me hanging around distracting you and I couldn't… I couldn't let her be the only reason you stuck around. But, Shannon is your daughter, and I can't believe you would think for one second she could possible be anyone-anyone e-else's," he finished with a hitch in his voice, tears pouring down his face. The stress of the day and now telling Jared about Shannon, it was crashing over him and he was drowning.

Jared looked astonished, but Jensen knew it wouldn't be long before he would be back to angry again, angry that Jensen kept Shannon from him all these years even though Jensen had spent the six months after their break trying to get hold of him.

Jensen pushed past him and back out into the waiting room before either of them could do anything foolish, like Jensen punching the guy for being an ass. He was relieved when Jared took the hint and didn't follow. The remainder of his wait was dominated by bad coffee and bad gossip magazines that he couldn't concentrate long enough to read.

He remembered skidding into her hospital room the moment they waved him through like the place was on fire. He didn't waste time worrying over all the machinery she was hooked up to. The professionals had told him that the surgery had gone well. He needed to trust in that or he'd go insane. Instead, he sat down on the edge of a chair and pulled it close to her bed. He said her name softly as he stroked gently through the silky hair at the crown of her head, "Shannon."

His bright and bouncy little girl was doped up and groggy but she was so beautiful as she opened her eyes and gave him a weak smile. "Daddy?"

"Yes, Doodle-bug, I'm here," Jensen reassured her with a smile that threatened to break his face it was so wide. The corners of his mouth were hurting and yet he couldn't stop smiling.

Shannon groaned in fake protest, "Daaaaaad, I drew on your walls when I was like two. Get a new nickname." She turned her face into his hand though, trying to get closer to him. Even now, teenage hormones raging, she still curled up in his lap whenever she wasn't feeling good. So, Jensen cupped her cheek and didn't reclaim his hand when she rolled her head to use those five fingers like a pillow.

"I beg to differ, young lady," he teased, "I remember letting a cheeky little Doodle-bug draw a mural on my bedroom wall with colored pencils for her twelfth birthday." She scrunched her nose and on a more serious note he added, "They tell me I can take you home tomorrow, sweetheart. You have to promise me that you will at least try to dodge next time?"

She rolled her eyes and smiled. "Yes, Dad. I so totally will be able to avoid getting hit by the out of control motorcycle if it ever happens again," she replied sarcastically.

Jensen leaned over and kissed her gently on the forehead. "That's my girl. Get some sleep, Shannon. I'm not going anywhere," he told her. His back hated him the next day, but he didn't move from that chair.

Shannon went home with Jensen the next day. He didn't get any sleep at all that night and in the morning a different doctor discharged his daughter with orders to stay in bed for the next week so she didn't pop her stitches and land back in the ER. Several days later found them at home with Jensen fussing over her. He had set her up on the couch with everything she could possibly need within reach and her laptop on a bed tray to keep the pressure off her stomach. He knew he was overdoing it, but he couldn't help it.

"Dad," she snapped, "Go drink some tea. You're driving me nuts with your mother hen routine." When he hesitated in the hallway she added, "I'll be fine. I promise I won't do anything I shouldn't. Please, go relax. Your blood pressure has got to be sky high. When you come back we can watch an episode of Outlander together." She was worried about him and dangling a carrot in front of his face to convince Jensen to take care of himself for a bit. His Doodle-bug was growing up. It was adorable and infuriating all at once.

Jensen checked her pillow arrangement, made sure she had a blanket across her legs, and gave her a quick kiss on her forehead. "You're still my baby girl," he told her.

She swatted at him with a half-hearted glare.

He backed away with his hands up in surrender. "Alright. I'm going. I'm going. But, I'm holding you to your promise." He laughed when she stuck out her tongue at him and made shooing motions. Shannon was right, though. With their family being just the two of them ever since Shannon had been but a bean in Jensen's womb, she had been looking after him almost as much as he took care of her.

He was sitting on the porch swing with a steaming cup in his hands when a massive shining truck pulled into his driveway. Jensen didn't know anyone with a vehicle like that, but he could guess who was about to step out. He'd been both hoping and dreading this moment. Jared emerged from the driver's side of the lifted extended cab and Jensen carefully schooled his features.

Jared stopped at the steps and looked up at him. "Jensen," he said.

"Dr. Padalecki," he acknowledged, "Congratulations. Vascular surgeon. You've done well for yourself." His tone was cold.

Jared flinched. "I guess I deserve that," he admitted sheepishly.

Jensen sipped on his tea, waiting for the bomb to drop.

"I'm sorry. I forgot," he offered. "Mama reminded me that you kept calling. For six months you tried get me to talk to you and then one day you just stopped." He even looked a little guilty as he said it.

Jensen had to give it to him. Jared was good. He didn't have a clue why his ex would be here now. Except… "If you're here to try to take her away from me you better be ready to kill me, cause that's the only way its happening," he promised. Now he was sitting up straight, feet flat on the floor and his cup abandoned on the railing. He looked about to leap out of his seat and fight him for her, hands clenching into fists reflexively. His body was one tense line perched on his seat and eager to explode into action.

Jared backed up a step and put his hands up, trying to placate the other man. "Whoa whoa. Yes, I'm here for Shannon, but I'm not going to take her from you. I wouldn't do that," he said, ignoring Jensen's snort of disbelief. Jared's eyes strayed to the front door and he noticed the chipped paint. In fact, the entire building could use a little face lift. The house had to cost fortune to keep warm in the winter. The windows were old and looked like they would leak like a sieve. The gutters needed replacing before the rainy season started up, and Jared began making an entire list in his head of the improvements he deemed necessary just from this brief glimpse of the exterior of the house. The place needed a lot of work. "Nice place," he tried, hoping to break the tension.

Jensen cleared his throat, not amused.

Jared sheepishly shrugged. "I know I don't deserve her, but I want to meet her. Officially I mean," he offered meekly, not demanding. His mama had lectured at him for almost two hours when she heard about Shannon, about the grand-daughter no one knew about because Jared had been a dumb ass and hadn't gotten his head out of his own ass until it was years too late. She told him that he couldn't barge into Jensen's life and just demand to see their daughter. He was forced to admit the woman had been right. If he pushed too hard Jensen would circle the wagons and it would be an uphill battle for the rest of their lives. He wouldn't like it, but he'd leave now if Jensen told him to. As eager as he was to get to know the daughter, and her father, he'd unknowingly abandoned he could wait until the other man was ready. "Please," he added, "I want to be there for her if you'll let me."

Jensen stared at the empty air above his head, unblinking. Time seemed to drag on and Jared was about to offer to come back another day when the man shook himself like a dog, blinking. "Yeah, sure," he replied in a rough voice, "She's on the couch doing her school work. I'll talk to her, and if Shannon wants to see you I won't stand in the way." He turned woodenly to go into the house.

Jared had a sudden panicked thought. "What did you tell her? About me," he asked. He'd been so quiet he thought for a moment that Jensen hadn't heard him.

But, he had. Jensen looked at Jared over his shoulder, so lost at the bottom of Jensen's porch stairs. "I told her stories about us, about when it was good. She knows about the creek behind your mama's house and the ice cream shop after school when we were kids. Most importantly, I told her that you left before I could tell you about her. I told her that you didn't know and that's why you weren't here," he replied softly. He opened the door. "Come inside. You can wait in the kitchen," Jensen offered. This time he didn't sound so cold.

It was an olive branch and Jared took it eagerly.


End file.
